Wrongful convictions tear at the very foundation of our system and everything that prosecutors stand for: public safety, fairness and justice. 14 connections. The Conviction Review Unit will continue to work with the court to finish exonerating DuBoise,Hall said in a phone interview with Oxygen.com. DuBoise was just 18 when he arrested. Prosecutors declined to reveal the persons identity but said he poses no threat to public safety.. In many wrongful convictions, such as DuBoises, these benefits provided in exchange for their testimony are never disclosed. I am Australian and want you to know that that there are others around the world that care about people such as yourself and support the Innocence Project and the work they do. In fact, the victims injury was not a human bite mark at all, wroteDaniel Marshall, an attorney for the Human Rights Defense Center representing DuBoise. Including DuBoises case in the calculations, 22 of the 24 Florida exonerations for which the jurys sentencing vote is known (91.7%) have been in these cases. The Medical Examiner also identified what was thought to be a human bite-mark on the victims cheek. Once again, I apologize to Robert on behalf of the entire justice system for all he has gone through. Judge Christopher. Crime News is your destination for true crime stories from around the world, breaking crime news, and information about Oxygen's original true crime shows and documentaries. DuBoise appealed his case in 2006, hoping to prove his innocence with DNA evidence that couldn't be properly processed in the '80s,local station WTSP reports. After three years on death row, the Florida Supreme Court reversed Robert DuBoises death sentence and substituted it with life plus fifteen years. By that point, Grams was being represented by Innocence Project attorney Susan Friedman. Robert DuBoise hugging his mother Myra DuBoise following his release from prison after 37 years on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020 in Bowling Green, Florida. Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from the Innocence Project: DNA testing excludes DuBoise in a case that rested on unreliable bite mark evidence and jailhouse informant testimony. trial court has freed a former death-row prisoner after local prosecutors said new DNA evidence had proven his innocence of the rape and murder for which he was wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death 37 years ago. Phone: (727) 642-3162 Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. These people do not work for the Innocence Project of Florida. Robert DuBoise A man in Florida who was exonerated after spending 37 years in prison for a 1983 rape and murder filed a lawsuit against police officials and the forensic dentist who testified against him, claiming they "knowingly fabricated" evidence used to convict him. To walk out of this nightmare and hug my mother and sister after almost four decades, knowing I was innocent is bittersweet. Souviron famously helped authorities convict Ted Bundy for the 1979 murder of Lisa Levy based on the bite mark the notorious serial killer left on the victims buttocks. In fact, the victims injury was not a human bitemark at all, Daniel Marshall, an attorney for the Human Rights Defense Center, wrote in the lawsuit. Robert Duboise served 37 years in Florida State Prison for the death of Barbara Grams, a 19-year-old Tampa woman police found beaten to death behind a dental practice in 1983. R.H. Price, the estate of Det. Until 2016, Florida permitted trial judges to impose death sentences despite jury recommendations for life or based on non-unanimous jury votes for death. Beyond that, wrongful convictions threaten public safety, putting an innocent person behind bars while the actual person who committed the crime goes free, Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren said. DuBoise is represented by the Innocence Project, who worked collaboratively with the Conviction Review Unit at the Office of the State Attorney for the 13th Judicial Circuit in Tampa. Prosecutors and Mr. DuBoises lawyer said they would then begin the lengthier process of asking the court to reverse his conviction and exonerate him. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright by Extensive-Enterprises 2023. Very little pointed to 18-year-old Robert DuBoise as the man responsible for the vicious rape and murder of 19-year-old Barbara Grams, who wasfound bludgeoned to deathin August 1983. One violent felony or more than one nonviolent felony will disqualify a person from Floridas Victims of Wrongful Incarceration Compensation Act which grants $50,000 per year of wrongful imprisonment by the State. Robert DuBoise, exonerated of 1983 murder, sues Tampa over imprisonment, Raymond Odierno, Army general who commanded in Iraq, dies of cancer at age 67, Justin McNeil appointed as new Jefferson County Supervisor of Elections, Antisemitic message distributor faces consequences in Palm Beach County court, Rick Scott says Democrats should be worried if Joe Biden is 2024 nominee, Last Call for 3.1.23 A prime-time read of whats going down in Florida politics, Jason Brodeur wants pay-to-play blog posts about elected officials reported with the state, Kamala Harris to speak at Miami Beach climate innovation summit. Robert DuBoise, 55, has spent two-thirds of his life behind bars for the 1983 rape and killing of a woman in Tampa, Fla. The dentist, Dr Richard Souviron, gained notoriety as an expert after testifying in the murder trial of serial killer Ted Bundy that one of his Florida victims had a bite mark that matched his teeth. Robert DuBoise was convicted of the 1983 killing of Barbara Grams after a forensic dentist testified regarding a faulty beeswax mold. DuBoise never confessed to anyone and maintained his innocence throughout, his lawyers said. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. Robert DuBoise leaves the Hardee County Correctional Institute after 37 years in prison. Now the world knows DNA proves I did not commit this crime. We found 28 records for people named Robert Dubois in 25 cities in Florida throughout Titusville, Orlando, and 23 more cities! On August 19, 1983, a young womans body was found behind a dental office in Tampa, Florida. After testifying in court against DuBoise and once a death sentence was secured, the informant received a further sentence reduction to time served and he was immediately released. DNA testing showed that DNA from two males was present and excluded DuBoise, Victor DuBoise and Raymond Garcia. The Innocence Project of Florida served as local counsel on the case. Today, Robert finally has some measure of justice. DuBoise, who had never been convicted of a violent crime, fully cooperated with police and allowed them to take a mold of his teeth. At the hearing on Monday, expert testimony showed that bite-mark evidence on the victims left cheek used at trial has been determined to be unreliable police used beeswax to take an impression of DuBoises teeth and that DNA showed conclusively he was not a suspect in the assault of Grams. For one thing,the injury on Gramscheek likely wasnt a bite mark at all and even if it was, bite marks are no longer considered reliable evidence in identifying suspects, according to new expert testimony referenced ina state attorney's officepress release. All Filters. The only physical evidence implicating Mr. DuBoise was fabricated bite mark evidence that supposedly matched Mr. DuBoise to an injury on the victims body. John Counsman, and forensic dentist Dr. Richard Souviron. Robert Michael Dubois, 45. The inmate claimed that DuBoise had confessed to raping and murdering Grams alongside two other men, Teresa Hall,supervising attorney for the Conviction Review Unit, saidin a. He concluded that the original bite mark conclusions are unsupported by science and, most critically, found that although two experts at trial concluded that the pattern injury was a bite mark, the injury in this case was in fact not a bite mark. They deserve the truth, not false closure based on a false story. DuBoise was re-sentenced to life for the murder and 15 years for the attempted sexual battery to run consecutively. When investigators began to identify suspects, they also came across a local resident who referred to Robert DuBoise as someone who caused problems at a hangout place in the area. All of the other physical evidence excluded DuBoise and there were no eyewitnesses that placed him near the crime scene. According to the lawsuit, investigators initially focused on him after an attendant at a gas station across the street from where Grams was found told police three boys named Robert, Bo and Ray had been causing trouble. was wrongfully convicted of raping and murdering a woman walked free Thursday after 37 years behind bars. After 37 years behind bars, a Florida man was formally cleared on Monday of a 1983 rape and murder which DNA evidence proved he did not commit. The only physical evidence implicating Mr DuBoise was fabricated bitemark evidence that supposedly matched Mr DuBoise to an injury on the victims body. Find Robert Dubois's phone number, address, and email on Spokeo, the leading people search directory for contact information and public records. STAFF LOGIN. The lawsuit, first reported by theTampa Bay Times, seeks unspecified damages. In 2014, the Florida Supreme Court adopted a rule of criminal procedure requiring the prosecution to disclose impeachment evidence on jailhouse informants within 15 days of the defense requesting discovery materials. provided cannot be used for any unlawful purpose. The Innocent project did their job. The murder will return to the unsolved file. Contributors & reporters: Phil Ammann, Roseanne Dunkelberger, A.G. Gancarski, Anne Geggis, Kelly Hayes, Ryan Nicol, Jacob Ogles, Gray Rohrer, Jesse Scheckner, Christine Sexton, Andrew Wilson, Wes Wolfe, and Mike Wright. In the federal lawsuit filed this week, DuBoises attorneys name as defendants the city of Tampa, four police investigators and a forensic dentist who testified a bite mark on Grams cheek was from DuBoise based on a faulty beeswax mold. Burke and John Counsman and Sergeant R.H. Price.. The Innocence Project urged the CRU to review the case based on concerns about the validity of forensic bite mark evidence and the heavy reliance on that evidence in this case. Its been amazing. A lab was able to conclusively exclude DuBoise as a perpetrator upon reviewing DNA evidence, Hall said. When the charges are formally dismissed, DuBoise will become Floridas 30th death-row exoneree since 1973, the most in the nation. Souviron, whose practice is in Coral Gables, Florida, did not immediately return a telephone message seeking comment on the DuBoise case on Saturday. As part of this effort, both parties worked collaboratively to re-investigate this crime. This court has failed you for 37 years, Nash said during the remote hearing. In October 1983, DuBoise was arrested for the rape and murder of a 19-year-old woman based solely on unreliable bite mark evidence. After nearly 40 years, Robert DuBoise reunites with his sister Harriett (left) and attorney Susan Friedman after his release from Hardee Correctional Institute (Image: Casey Brooke Lawson/ The Innocence Project). However, years of research have wholly undermined this assertion. Supporters of DuBoise have requested $1.85 million in compensation from the state Legislature, but that claims bill has so far gone nowhere. From a human point of view, of course, I feel terrible, Souviron reportedly said, adding: I played a part in his conviction. Please avoid sharing any personal information in the comments below and join us in making this a hate-speech free and safe space for everyone. Another leading factor in wrongful convictions nationally is jailhouse informant testimony, playing a role in 17 percent of the 375 DNA-based exoneration cases. Through observation and autopsy, authorities concluded the woman was raped and beaten to death. A free man for the first time since he was a teenager, Mr. DuBoise must now put his life back together after almost 40 years in prison, the lawsuit says. The first thing he wanted to do was hug his mom. Robert DuBoise, 55, meets reporters with his sister Harriet, left, and mother Myra, outside the Hardee county correctional institute after his release on 27 August in Hardee county, Florida. Knowing that such an egregious mistake could happen here is gut-wrenching.. If a judge approves the motion on Thursday, Mr. DuBoise could walk out of Hardee Correctional Institution in Bowling Green, Fla., on Thursday afternoon, after 37 years behind bars. 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Exonerated man walks out of Florida prison, Tampa Bay Times, August 27, 2020; Curt Anderson and Tamara Lush, Innocent Florida inmate released after 37years, Associated Press, August 27, 2020; Emily McCain and Heather Leigh, Its abeautiful day | Tampa man walks free after 37years in prison for murder, WFTS-TV, Tampa, August 27, 2020; Staff, Innocence Project Client Robert DuBoise Released After Nearly 37 Years in Prison for 1983 Tampa Murder, The Innocence Project, August 27,2020. He walked free that afternoon. In 2019, the Innocence Project reached out to the Conviction Review Unit (CRU) at the Office of the State Attorney for the 13th Judicial Circuit in Tampa to begin a joint re-investigation based on new evidence on the jailhouse informant and concerns about the discredited bite mark evidence. Left; Robert and his mom, left, and his sister, right, on the day he was freed. DuBoises lawsuit quotes a speech to a police chiefs in which Souviron said: If you tell me that is the guy that did it, I will go into court and say that is the guy that did it.. Robert Alan Dubois, 58 Resides in Glendale, AZ Lived In Scottsdale AZ, Fort Lauderdale FL, Phoenix AZ, Oak View CA Related To Keith Dubois, Jordan Dubois, Rhonda Dubois, K Dubois Also known as Robert A Duborj Includes Address (9) Phone (4) See Results Robert E Dubois, 63 Resides in Valparaiso, FL Lived In Niceville FL, York PA, Wrightsville PA Select this result to view Robert G Dubois's phone number, address, and more. Robert is related to Robert Eric Dubois and Mary Frances Dubois as well as 3 additional people. Pennsylvania man who wrongly spent 23 years on death row is freed, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. Warren said that his office was preparing court papers to complete the exoneration process. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! A Florida trial court has freed a former death-row prisoner after local prosecutors said new DNA evidence had proven his innocence of the rape and murder for which he was wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death 37 years ago. The dentist was Dr. Richard Souviron, who gained notoriety as an expert after testifying in the murder trial of serial killer Ted Bundy that one of his Florida victims had a bite mark that matched his teeth. A man in Florida who was exonerated after spending 37 years in prison for a 1983 rape and murder filed a lawsuit against police officials and the forensic dentist who testified against him, claiming they knowingly fabricated evidence used to convict him. This wont be easy, but it will be worth it, he said. In fact, the original prosecutions case rested rested primarily on two pieces of evidence:the testimony of a fellow inmate, and a woundon the woman's cheek that a dental expert identified as a bite mark from DuBoise's teeth, according to. Based on junk-science bite-mark evidence and false testimony from a prison informant, Robert DuBoise (pictured with his mother, Myra, following his release) was convicted of raping and murdering 19-year-old Barbara Grams. Robert DuBoise reunites with his sister Harriett DuBoise, attorney Susan Friedman, and mother Myra DuBoise following a 37-year wrongful incarceration on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020 in Bowling Green, Fla. (Image: Casey Brooke Lawson/AP Images for The Innocence Project). As a result, the judge denied his request to test the other biological evidence and agreed on the States theory that excluding Robert from the evidence would still not prove his innocence. 2. Mr. DuBoise is a man of faith, Ms. Friedman said, and hoped to go to church and the beach after his release. This case was filed in Osceola County Courts, Not Classified By Court located in Osceola, Florida. DuBoise has been deprived of all the basic pleasures of human experience, which all free people enjoy as a matter of right., Have a tip we should know? While we rely on charitable donations to support our work, we never solicit money for our services from our clients. In addition, the lawsuit contends that investigators conspired with jailhouse informants to falsely implicate DuBoise and were guilty of misconduct. Robert Dubois in Fort Lauderdale, FL 13 results - Robert Dubois may also have lived outside of Fort Lauderdale, such as Fort Walton Beach, Hollywood and 2 other cities in Florida. By that point, Grams was being represented by Innocence Project of Florida served as local on. 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